Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 82
A Plea for Righteous Judgment
A psalm of Asaph.(A)
1 God stands in the divine assembly;
he pronounces judgment among the gods:[a](B)
2 “How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?(C)Selah
3 Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.(D)
4 Rescue the poor and needy;
save them from the power of the wicked.”(E)
5 They do not know or understand;
they wander in darkness.(F)
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.(G)
6 I said, “You are gods;(H)
you are all sons of the Most High.(I)
7 However, you will die like humans
and fall like any other ruler.”(J)
8 Rise up, God, judge the earth,
for all the nations belong to you.(K)
Defeat at Ai
7 The Israelites, however, were unfaithful(A) regarding the things set apart for destruction. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart, and the Lord’s anger burned against the Israelites.
10 The Lord then said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen facedown? 11 Israel has sinned. They have violated my covenant that I appointed for them. They have taken some of what was set apart. They have stolen, deceived, and put those things with their own belongings.(A) 12 This is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies. They will turn their backs and run from their enemies, because they have been set apart for destruction.(B) I will no longer be with you unless you remove from among you what is set apart.
13 “Go and consecrate the people. Tell them to consecrate themselves for tomorrow,(C) for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are things that are set apart among you, Israel. You will not be able to stand against your enemies until you remove what is set apart. 14 In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe the Lord selects is to come forward clan by clan. The clan the Lord selects is to come forward family by family. The family the Lord selects is to come forward man by man. 15 The one who is caught with the things set apart must be burned, along with everything he has, because he has violated the Lord’s covenant and committed an outrage in Israel.”(D)
Achan Judged
16 Joshua got up early the next morning. He had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected. 17 He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the Zerahite clan was selected. He had the Zerahite clan come forward by heads of families,[a] and Zabdi was selected. 18 He then had Zabdi’s family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.
19 So Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel,(E) and make a confession to him.[b] I urge you, tell me what you have done. Don’t hide anything from me.”
20 Achan replied to Joshua, “It is true. I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel.(F) This is what I did: 21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Babylon,[c] five pounds[d] of silver, and a bar of gold weighing a pound and a quarter,[e] I coveted them and took them.(G) You can see for yourself. They are concealed in the ground inside my tent, with the silver under the cloak.” 22 So Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent, and there was the cloak, concealed in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from inside the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites, and spread them out in the Lord’s presence.
24 Then Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, and the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his ox, donkey, and sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up to the Valley of Achor.(H) 25 Joshua said, “Why have you brought us trouble?(I) Today the Lord will bring you trouble!” So all Israel stoned them[f] to death. They burned their bodies, threw stones on them, 26 and raised over him a large pile of rocks that remains still today.(J) Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore that place is called the Valley of Achor[g] still today.
Warning against Deliberate Sin
26 For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,(A) 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries.(B) 28 Anyone who disregarded the law of Moses died without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses.(C) 29 How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, who has regarded as profane[a] the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?(D) 30 For we know the one who has said,
and again,
31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.(F)
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